Dutch-Turkish man pleads guilty to aiding Islamic terror group

WASHINGTON – A Dutch-Turkish man has pleaded guilty to providing material support to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Federal officials announced Thursday that 58-year-old Irfan Demirtas pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Officials said Demirtas was charged in a 2011 sealed indictment related to actions between 2006 and 2008 when he was a Netherlands resident and an IMU fundraiser and facilitator. The government said the militant Islamic group formed in 1991 aims to overthrow Uzbekistan's government and create an Islamic state. In his plea, Demirtas admits providing funds to the group's leader.

Demirtas was arrested in Germany in 2015 and extradited to the United States. He faces a statutory maximum of 15 years and financial penalties at sentencing on Nov. 30.